I’ve spent a good part of the fall foraging for jewels that feature acorns, always delighted when one turns up at a trade show, a press preview, or the “forests” of the internet. With its smooth and prickly textures, an acorn naturally lends itself to sculptural metalwork, although Aaron Henry cleverly cast the nut as a Tahitian pearl; the masterful Joel Arthur Rosenthal (aka JAR) chose banded agate.

Acorns also have a deep-rooted symbolism, making acorn-themed jewelry a particularly thoughtful holiday gift. As an oak-tree-to-be, it stands for new beginnings, longevity, strength, and stability. An acorn can also be worn as a protective amulet (as Wendy did in Peter Pan) or a talisman to attract good luck.

Not surprisingly, a couple of squirrels nibbled their way into this edit but with so many tempting, gleaming, gemstone-scattered options, who could blame them?